Objective:
The aim of this study is to determine the normal value range of the anterior atlantodental interval in adults.
Materials and Methods:
100 adult patients (50 females and 50 males), who had no trauma in the craniocervical junction and no rheumatological or infectious diseases affecting this region, were selected for this study by reviewing their files retrospectively. Sagittal cervical computerized tomography images were used for measurement of the midline anterior atlantodental interval. Numerical data were presented as mean and standard deviation. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparisons between independent groups. The PASW Statistics v18 program was used for statistical analysis.
Results:
The mean age was 39.31 ± 11.55 years for male patients and 41.0 ± 13.17 years for females. There were no statistically significant differences between the genders in terms of age. The mean anterior atlantodental interval was 1.47 ± 0.29 mm for males and 1.51 ± 0.25 mm for females. Comparisons between the groups revealed no statistically significant differences in the anterior atlantodental interval between men and women.
Conclusion:
If the anterior atlantodental interval is measured as >2mm, pathologies must be investigated and precautions must be taken for craniocervical junction stability.
Keywords: Atlantodental interval, craniocervical junction, atlantodental morphometric measurement